Journey's End
by Kusabana
Summary: With Victoria dead Natalie and Jacob's happy little life has quieted down as they prepare for their baby and their own wedding. Will Edward and Bella's own wedding bring unforseen events that will disrupt Jacob and Natalie's normal and quite life.JacobXOC
1. Chapter 1

The day of Bella's wedding had come. Jacob was a ball of nerves as he stood on the bride's side right next to the aisle. He was wearing his nice suit and the hair-pipe necklace I had made him that matched mine. I took his hand in mine as I stood next to him. I was in a knee-length flowy lavender dress with an empire waist; I had my hair curled and it was pinned back out of my face.

The music began to play and we all turned to the back and saw Bella standing there. I had to admit she really did look beautiful. As she got closer to us I saw realization dawn on her face, and a little bit more happiness entered her eyes when she saw Jacob standing there. As we watched Edward and Bella say their vows Jacob and I stood next to each other, my arms wrapped around his waist and one of his arms wrapped around my shoulder, his other hand resting on my slowly growing belly.

During the reception we shared a table with Seth, Billy, and Sue. The food was really good; it looked like the Cullens had really pulled out all the stops. As I watched Bella and her dad dance I couldn't help but let a few tears fall. It had finally hit me that I wouldn't have my own father at my and Jacob's wedding; he wouldn't be there to walk me down the aisle or to share a father-daughter dance with me. Jacob grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. I looked over at him and tried to smile as he handed me a napkin. I took it and dabbed it under my eyes, trying not to smear my makeup. "Are you okay?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah. Hormones," I lied. I knew if I told Jacob he would feel bad, and I didn't want him to. He leaned over and kissed my forehead. After the music stopped I looked over at him. "Go ask her to dance, Jacob."

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said.

"Go, Jacob. You two should talk. If you don't, I'll make you sleep on the couch tonight," I said sternly. That earned me a huff as he walked over to Bella and Edward, who were talking quietly at one side of the room. I saw Jacob say something and then Edward gave a nod, and Bella and Jacob headed out to the dance floor and Edward headed over to me. He held out his hand and bowed slightly with a kind smile on his face.

"Since my dance partner has been stolen, I was wondering if you would honor me with his dance," he said politely.

"You really are old, aren't you?" I said with a raise of my eyebrow at his formal wording. This earned me a slight chuckle from Edward.

"Older than you think," he replied.

I placed my hand in his and he led me out to the dance floor. He placed his hand on the small of my back as we began to dance. "How are you doing?" he asked, looking down at me while we danced.

"I'm doing fine. The baby is growing fast. Jacob and I just got a house, between his dad's and Sam's, so we're putting that together. He'll be starting online classes pretty soon to finish high school," I replied.

"That's good, although that's not what I meant. I meant, how are you doing emotionally? I don't mean to pry, but I couldn't help noticing you were just thinking about your father and you seemed upset."

"Oh, that. Yeah, with my engagement I hadn't even stopped to think about my father not being here to walk me down the aisle or dance with me, but it will be fine. I'll have Sam," I replied.

Edward nodded. "I also would like to thank you for coming."

"You're welcome. It took a little bit to convince Jacob to come, but I just told him he needed to be here for Bella to support her, even if he didn't agree with what she's doing," I said.

"Thank you for convincing him, then. I have to admit, though, I wouldn't think you'd say that, considering the past you and Bella share," Edward admitted.

"Like I've told Jacob several times, I don't hate her. I just didn't like how she treated him and acted like she knew everything about us. Plus she is his best friend, and I would never want him to stop being her best friend just because she and I didn't like each other."

Edward chuckled. "You're more gracious than I am, Natalie. If I knew Bella still had those kinds of feelings for Jacob and he wasn't with you, I think I would have done everything in my power to make sure she never saw him again."

I couldn't help but chuckle at this. I looked over at Jacob and Bella and smiled as I watched the two of them dancing and talking with smiles on their faces.

"He was right . . . ." Edward's soft words brought my attention back to him.

"Who was right about what?" I asked.

"Jacob, about your eyes, how they positively swim with how you're feeling—and how there are three different shades that blend together. They are truly your most striking physical feature, when you really look at them," Edward said, staring at me intently.

I couldn't help but laugh, and I smiled as I looked back at Jacob. "Yeah, he's always loved my eyes. He hates it when I wear my glasses."

"You wear glasses?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, but I wear my contacts most of the time," I replied.

It wasn't long before Bella and Jacob came over and interrupted the two of us. "May I cut in?" Jacob asked.

"Of course." Edward turned to me, took my hand, and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently as he bowed. "Thank you for the wonderful dance, Natalie."

"You're welcome, Edward," I said, before turning and nodded to Bella. "Congratulations on your marriage, Bella." Bella just nodded before Jacob led me away to dance.

We didn't stay to see Bella and Edward off on their honeymoon; Jacob said he couldn't do it, knowing what they would be doing. I didn't fight that one. He had gone to the wedding and was there for his friend like he should have been, and I wasn't going to push him any more than that.

Later that night I lay in our bed with Jacob as he slept. My head rested on his chest, my hand on his stomach, as I thought about Bella's wedding and seeing her with her dad. My heart still ached at knowing I wouldn't be sharing those happy moments with my own dad, and wouldn't have my mother with me when I picked out my wedding dress. I felt the tears coming again. Then I felt Jacob's hand on my back and his gruff, sleep-filled voice filled the room.

"What's wrong, my love?" he asked.

"Just thinking about my parents . . . at the wedding tonight I realized I won't be able to share those happy moments a girl shares with her parents when she gets married. I won't have my mom helping me pick out my dress; my dad won't be the one walking me down the aisle to give me away or dancing with me at the reception," I said softly.

I felt Jacob's fingers hook under my chin and move me to face him. "You're wrong, Natalie, they will be there. They'll be with you every step you take in this life and the life we share. They'll be there when we get married and when our baby is born. Just because they aren't here in body doesn't mean they aren't here at all."

I smiled tremulously. "I know, but still it hurts knowing they won't be here physically to share it with me. I mean, I love Sam and Emily, and I know they would gladly fill those spots, but it's not fair because my parents are supposed to be there. They weren't supposed to die yet!"

Jacob wrapped his arms around me and placed one of his hands on the back of my head, holding me close and tucking my head under his chin. "I know, and I wish I could make it so they could be here. You have no idea how much I wish I could."

Jacob just held me that night as I cried over the loss of my parents. I had been doing so well about not getting upset over it, and though I no longer blamed myself, they'd been gone for nearly a year now and it still hurt to know they were really gone and were never coming back.


	2. Seperation

I was in the kitchen of my and Jacob's house, cooking with Emily. I was currently peeling apples for an apple streusel cake I was making to go with dinner tonight. The pack was coming over for dinner as a housewarming party; Jacob and I had finally gotten the house put together and all our furniture was moved in. Emily was over here every day to help me while Jacob worked on his school work upstairs in our office. Truth be told, though, I think Emily just missed having another girl in the house. I placed my hand on my now-round belly; it was small, but it was blatantly obvious that I was pregnant. I put down my knife and picked up the bowl of sliced, peeled apples as I stood up and went over to the sink to rinse off my apple.

It was close to three weeks since the wedding, and Jacob was down at the beach taking a break from his school work when Sam called the pack together. It seemed Seth had heard from Charlie that Bella was back, and she was sick. Jacob automatically assumed she had been turned, and his temper flared. He wanted revenge, but Sam denied him that. So Jacob went off to confront the Cullens.

This had me worried; I hoped he wouldn't let his temper instigate a fight he couldn't win on his own against all of them. I rubbed my stomach gently as I stood there in front of my sink, looking out into my back yard and hoping Jacob would come trotting out of the trees.

"Any movements yet?" Emily's voice brought me out of my worried thoughts.

I turned and leaned against the sink, placing both hands on my belly. "No, but the doctor said it could be closer to 20 weeks before I feel anything since this is my first pregnancy."

Emily smiled and came over, placing her hand on my belly as well. "Is Jacob still excited?" I knew she was trying to distract me with happier thoughts.

"Yes, very much so. He wants a little girl, but I want a little boy. We'll be happy with either, but yeah, he talks to the baby every night when we go to bed. It's rather sweet." I smiled.

Then I froze: I could hear Jacob's thoughts coming back into my mind. He was furious; this was worse than we had originally thought. Everyone in the pack started talking at once, and it was making my head hurt. I walked back over to the table and sat down with my hand to my head.

"Is that Jacob?" Emily asked, walking over and kneeling in front of me.

"Yeah, along with everyone in the pack, all at the same time," I said, trying to focus on what was going on. They were talking about destroying Bella and the baby, just because they didn't know how it would be.

"_You can't do that, Sam. What if being what we are were to cause something to go differently with my baby—would you kill me and my baby, too, because you're afraid the baby would be uncontrollable?" _I interjected.

"_No! This is different, Natalie, and you know it," _Sam said.

"_No, it's not, and _you _know it," _I said_._

Jacob, Seth, and I were arguing against it, but everyone else seemed to agree with Sam. When Sam refused to give up on the matter and began to head to the Cullens' house, I grabbed the keys to my car and ran to the door. "Sorry, Emily, but I can't let Sam go through with killing Bella."

I ran out to my car. Bella could be considered my arch-nemesis, if you wanted to think in terms of superheroes, but what Sam was doing was just wrong. No one deserved that. I had to try to get there before the others. As I drove as fast as I could towards the Cullens' house I could hear Jacob and Sam starting to argue over alpha stuff. This had them stalled and I was able to get ahead of them, but then first Jacob's voice disappeared, then Seth's.

Jacob was already standing in the Cullens' yard when I pulled up. I shut my car off, leaving the keys in it in my haste to stop them. "JACOB!" I called, running towards them. I must have startled Emmett and Jasper because they lunged in my direction, snarling. I skidded to a halt, putting a hand on my belly, then Jacob jumped in front of them, his fur on end and baring his teeth and snarling at them, before walking over to me.

"It's okay, guys. It's just Natalie, Jacob's fiancée," Edward said, causing the two to stand up and calm down. I looked into Jacob's eyes, placing my hand in his thick, warm fur. He was trying to talk to me, I could see it in his eyes. "Jacob, I can't hear you."

"_Natalie, get back to the reservation right now!" _Sam growled.

"_No, Sam. I can't allow you to do thi,s and I'm not going to leave Jacob. My place is with him," _I replied firmly.

"_You hate Bella—why do you care?" _Paul interjected.

"_Stay out of this, Paul. Despite Bella's and my differences, I wouldn't allow anyone to harm an innocent child just because they were scared of it. Jacob and_ _I are leaving, and he won't be back as long as you hold your views, Sam. Tell Emily I love her and I'll try to keep in touch with her."_ With that, the clamor of voices in my mind went silent.

I looked back at Jacob and he whimpered a little. I still couldn't hear him in my mind, like I'd been able to before, and I didn't like that. It made me nervous. I looked over at Seth, who looked at me, and I shook my head and looked back into Jacob's eyes. "I can't hear either one of you."

Jacob huffed and looked back at Edward. I could tell they were talking, but I stuck close to Jacob's side for the warmth. In my hurry I had slipped on my boots but hadn't tied them, and I'd completely forgotten my coat. It was the end of summer here in Forks, so that meant it was getting really cold again. Jacob and Seth left, and I assumed it was to check the surrounding area. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper walked over to me as I stood in the cold, my arms crossed over my chest, shivering with the loss of Jacob's heat.

"Please, Natalie, come inside where it's warm," Edward said softly.

"Thank you, but I think I'll just wait for Jacob and Seth to come back," I said softly. I walked over to the side of the house and sat down on the steps.

Jasper walked over and knelt down in front of me. "Please come in. I'm sure Jacob doesn't want anything happenin' to you and that little one. Once he's back you can come right back out. It's late; you're free to fix something to eat as well, if you haven't eaten, or even fix something for Seth and Jacob. I'm sure they'll be starving when they return," he said. It was weird. I felt a sudden calm wash over me; all the nerves I'd been feeling were just swept right away. I gave a slight nod and he held out his hand to help me up. I took it and we walked into the house. I kept an eye on the big one, Emmett. I didn't trust him since he'd grabbed me and just about crushed my ribs.

I heard Edward as we walked in. "Don't worry, Natalie, Emmett won't hurt you. Jasper, show her to the kitchen, please." I followed Edward with my eyes and that's when I saw Bella. She looked like she was at death's door. But Jasper swept onward, showing me to the kitchen. "The kitchen is fully stocked. Esme kept it that way for Bella, but it seems it will be free for you and your little one," he said.

I nodded. "Thank you."

"You shouldn't be worried, Natalie. If your cousin is smart like I believe him to be, he won't attack when he knows his enemy is aware he's coming," Jasper said kindly, obviously trying to sound reassuring. I nodded, and there being nothing else to say, he disappeared out of the kitchen. I fixed something to eat quickly and then headed back outside to wait for Jacob.

I don't know what time I fell asleep, but it didn't seem like very long before I felt something warm and soft curl up around me. When I opened my eyes I saw it was Seth and I just smiled softly, curling up in his warm, soft fur and falling back to sleep. I hadn't slept well the night before, so I was easily woken up when Jacob came to get Seth. I noticed that at some point since the last time I'd fallen asleep, someone had come and put a warm blanket over me. I rubbed my eyes some as Jacob took Seth's spot and rubbed his cheek against mine, then gently nuzzled my stomach.

"We're okay, Jacob," I said, pulling the blanket more securely around me before lying back down and curling up against him.

It wasn't long before I was startled awake by Jacob jumping up, and he ran off before I could ask what was going on. I sighed and sat back, curling up in my blanket and shivering in the cold, moist morning air. When I heard the door open I turned to see Carlisle standing there.

"Natalie, why don't you come in? You look frozen to the bone. You must be tired and hungry," he said. I _was_ frozen and hungry, but . . . I looked back in the direction Jacob had run off. "Do you know what's going on?" Carlisle asked.

I shook my head. "N-no . . . since last night I can't hear him any more. I can't hear any of them." I stood up and walked over to Carlisle, holding the blanket around me. He placed his stone-cold hand on my back and guided me inside.

"I'm sure you'll get it back once everything calms down," he said.

Esme came to us and smiled sweetly. "Are you hungry? You look absolutely frozen, you poor thing! I bet you'd like some fresh clothes and a nice warm shower, wouldn't you?"

I nodded and then I heard a soft, raspy voice asking who was there. I looked questioningly at Esme, and she smiled faintly and nodded toward a doorway on the other side of the kitchen. Hesitantly I headed that way and found myself in what looked like it used to be the living room. Bella lay there in a hospital bed, looking like she was only minutes away from death.

"It's just Natalie, Bella. She's woken up and I brought her in to warm up and get something to eat," Carlisle said gently.

"Hi, Bella," I said, not really knowing what else to say. I held the blanket closer around me for comfort.

"Thank you . . . for understanding," Bella said. I looked over at Edward, who was sitting next to her. He had to have told her everything that had happened. All I got from him was a slight nod.

"Don't mention it," I replied.

I was ushered off to the kitchen, where I was promptly encouraged to sit down at the bar as Esme began to scurry around the kitchen and Carlisle stood looking down at me.

"May I?" he asked.

I looked at him, uncertain what he was asking, then I saw his extended hand. "Oh—yeah, if you want, but I can't feel anything yet."

Carlisle smiled as he knelt down and placed a hand on my belly. "Life is such a fascinating thing. Its heartbeat is strong and healthy." He looked up at me. "Do you know the sex yet?"

"No. At my next appointment we're supposed to find out. I'm hopeing for a boy, but Jacob is wishing for a girl," I told him.

Carlisle smiled. "If you need me to**,** I can take over your medical care. I have everything here, just in case. It's going to be difficult, what with everything that's going on."

I nodded. "Thank you for the offer."

"It's the least I can do, considering everything that's going on," Carlisle said. Esme set a plate down on the counter in front of me.

"Thank you," I said, looking at the hot food appreciatively and giving her a tentative smile.

"Don't worry about it. I'll go find you some clothes, and then once you're done eating I'll show you to one of the spare rooms with a bathroom so you can shower, and then even sleep some if you want." Esme smiled warmly.

I nodded. "If you could just take the clothes you're loaning me and put them in the dryer with a dryer sheet, and then just tell me where the drier is . . . ? Jacob's nose is more sensitive than mine." I didn't want to offend them, but whenever I spent any time around the Cullens, Jacob complained that I reeked of vampire.

Esme smiled, understanding at once, and nodded in amusement. "Of course, dear." She disappeared to search for clothes, and I began to eat. I finished quickly and Esme showed me where the dryer was, then led me to a room I was told would be mine to use for as long as I wished. I nodded and thanked her, and with a cheery smile she closed the door and left me alone. I wandered into the bathroom and turned on the water to warm it up. I made quick work of my shower and then, wrapped in a huge towel, I headed to the dryer and took out the clothes Esme had found for me: a sweat pants and t-shirt, along with a bra and underwear. I quickly got dressed and was just hanging up the towel when I heard Jacob's voice.

I ran to the living room, where he stood talking to Carlisle. Jacob turned and pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly as if I would float away if he let go. I held on to him as well; it was so nice to have him there with me again . . . my Jacob.


	3. It's A

I looked up at Jacob and then at Carlisle, who was handing Bella a cup with a straw. "What are they giving Bella?"

"They believe that the . . . it might have an appetite that fits them rather than us," Jacob explained.

"You don't mean . . ." I began, and Jacob simply nodded. Soon after that I heard the slurping sound when Bella reached the bottom of the empty cup. Suddenly I felt everything I had eaten start to come up. I covered my mouth and ran to the nearest bathroom just in time. Jacob came in right on my heels. As hard as I tried to stop vomiting, I simply couldn't. Jacob was holding my hair back and rubbing my stomach. I was surprised to hear Carlisle's voice.

"Is she okay? I assumed she would have been past her morning sickness. It's odd for it to last this long," he said.

"I think it's the blood," Jacob said.

I leaned back away from the toilet once there was nothing else to come up but stomach acid. I felt cold and couldn't keep from trembling even though Jacob pulled me into his lap and held me, gently tucking my head under his.

Carlisle nodded to Jacob, understanding that the knowledge that Bella was drinking blood, and then hearing the straw slurp in the empty cup, had made my stomach so uneasy it had made me sick. "Why don't you take her up to her room to rest? I'll bring her up something to drink and something light to eat. It's not good for her or the baby for her stomach to be empty," Carlisle explained.

My eyes where closed as I shivered against Jacob's chest. I could feel him standing up with me in his arms. I felt so weak after the whole ordeal that I didn't have enough strength to tell Carlisle I didn't want any food or anything to drink. "You should get some rest too, Jacob. One of us will come get you if anything changes," Carlisle added.

The last thing I remembered was Jacob gently setting me down on a bed that was so soft I felt like I was sinking down into it, then hearing the sound of windows being opened. Then he lay down next to me and wrapped his arm around me, burying his nose in my hair—I assumed to lessen the vampire smell.

The next time I woke up it was starting to get dark and Jacob was gone. I sat up and rubbed my eyes a bit and then headed downstairs. When I got down there Seth was in the living room with Edward, Bella, and Rosalie. Seth looked up at me with a large smile as I rested a hand on my back for a little support. "Where is Jacob?" I asked, my voice still thick with sleep.

"He's out running the perimeter. He woke up at dawn," Seth said.

"Dawn? What do you mean, dawn?" I asked, confused. It was sunset now.

"You slept for the rest of yesterday, through the night, and all of today. Carlisle has been going to check on you often; you were running a little bit of a fever earlier, but he figured you needed it due to the rough night and then the whole getting-sick thing," Seth explained.

I felt a little wobbly at the thought of having slept for a day and half. Then two hands were on my shoulders steadying me before I could lose my balance. I looked up behind me and it was Carlisle. He smiled softly. "You're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Weak, sluggish, and still tired, but I'm hungry, too," I listed.

Carlisle laughed. "Why don't you go sit down and I'll have Esme fix you something light to eat and get you something to drink. You smell somewhat dehydrated."

I nodded and began to walk to a chair, but halfway there I stopped. My hand shot to my stomach and a gasp escaped my lips. Carlisle and Seth were at my side in an instant.

"Are you okay? Are you feeling any pain?" Carlisle asked, sounding worried.

I shook my head no I and looked at him with a small smile. "I just felt the baby move for the first time."

"Really?" Seth said excitedly. I looked back down at my belly and rested both of my hands on it as I waited to feel it again. Seth looked down at my hands. "Is he still moving?"

Carlisle ushered me to a chair and urged me to sit down. Seth knelt down next to me. "Not yet," I said. "Just wait a few seconds and he might do it again."

"I thought you said you didn't know the sex yet, Natalie," Carlisle said.

"We don't, but I really want a boy and I don't like it when people refer to him as an 'it', so we normally refer to the baby as she or he," I explained.

"How far along are you again?" Carlisle asked.

"Roughly four and half months—close to five months," I said as I felt Seth's hands on my belly, eagerly waiting to feel the baby.

"Next time Jacob is here we can settle the guessing game. You're far enough along you should be able to tell now." Carlisle smiled.

I nodded and smiled at Seth's obvious enthusiasm. His own smile grew wider when he felt the baby move. He stood up reluctantly and looked down at me. "I should get going. I'm supposed to team up with Jacob and he's going to want to know about this." With that he was out the door.

"It's an amazing feeling, isn't it?" Bella said. I looked over at her on the couch and nodded. It was weird to see Bella smiling at me.

"I really am happy for you and Jacob," she went on.

"Yeah, well, I wish I could say Jacob feels the same for you, but that might still take some time. I know he'll still always be there when you need him, though, even if he doesn't agree to it," I replied.

Bella nodded. "Edward told me what you did about making sure he came to the wedding and then standing up for me to Sam. I want to thank you for that, Natalie."

"Despite what you think, Bella, I don't hate you. I just didn't like you walking in and toying with my family and treating Jacob like you did," I sighed.

"It wasn't my intention—" Bella began, but I put my hand up to stop her.

"It's in the past, Bella—and even if we were to fight I wouldn't stop Jacob from seeing you. You two are best friends and I would be an awful person if tried to stop him," I said sincerely. All I got was a nod.

I was surprised to suddenly hear Jacob's voice. I turned to see him smiling as he came over to me. His eyes were on my belly and his hands joined mine atop it. "Seth told me she moved."

I laughed. He was still sure it was a girl. "Yeah, he did. Carlisle said next time you were here we could find out because I'm far enough along to figure that out now."

"Really?" Jacob asked, looking down at me.

I nodded, moving my fingers through his shaggy hair before stealing a kiss. My lips lingered on his; it seemed like ages since I'd had a kiss from him. When I pulled away he touched his forehead to mine and we just stared into each other's eyes. "Have I told you recently how much I love you?" he said gently.

I shook my head with a soft giggle. "No, you haven't."

"Well, Mrs. Black, I love you more than anything else in this world, and I will continue to love you that much until the end of time," Jacob said, and he stole another kiss.

We were interrupted by Esme bringing me something light to eat and some Gatorade. Jacob looked questioningly at the food. "Carlisle wants me to eat light stuff until we know my stomach is settled," I said. "He said I smelled dehydrated, and according to Seth I was running a little bit of a fever earlier."

Jacob nodded. He picked me up, sat down in the chair I'd just left, and set me in his lap. He gently rubbed my belly as I ate.

Later Carlisle took me into his office, where a lot of the medical equipment had been moved. I lay down on Bella's old hospital bed and Jacob sat down next to me and held my hand. "We finally get to see what Sarah looks like!" he said excitedly.

"You guys already have names picked out?" Carlisle said.

"Yeah. If it's a boy we want to name him after my father, and if it's a girl we're going to name her after Jacob's mother," I said as Carlisle prepped me and the machine.

"That's lovely." Carlisle smiled as he squirted the gel onto my stomach and moved the wand around amid the goop. On the screen a fuzzy picture emerged of our baby, who was sucking its thumb. I looked at Jacob as he stared in awe at my belly, then looked back at the screen.

"Well, the baby definitely looks healthy, right where it needs to be in development, strong heartbeat—and if we just move this way a little," Carlisle said as he moved the wand, "we'll see that it seems Natalie has won the bet. You have a healthy baby boy in there," Carlisle announced.


End file.
